Posted by Sari
Combinig two of my interests - SF and Amercian politics - Kevin Drum of Washington Monthly talks about Kurtzweil and Singularity.
Combining two of my other interests - nuclear weapons and opera - here is John Adam's new opera, Doctor Atomic about Robert J Oppenheimer. The music sounds much like the only previous work of his I have heard, the ever controversial Death of Klinghoffer, but that is not a bad thing, Adams minimalism-derived style is quite accessible and engaging. Also, his intensly political choices of subject are interesting. (His first and perhaps most famous opera is Nixon in China). Link to Dr. Atomic via always excellent Fabula.
The Skating season is started and it is an olympic season. Results are in from Nebelhorn Trophy, and some old friends had a surprise announcement.
And a quick reading recommendation: Francis Spufford: Child that Books Built is engaging and interesting long essay on how reading molds us. There is much to argue for and some against, but what Spufford has to say should, I think, resonate with us all who grew up as readers in general and story-addicts in particular.
How about that! John Adams is one of my four favorite composers. I have attended two concerts he conducted as well as the opera Klinghoffer. I also have three DVDs (Klinghoffer, El Nîno, and Portrait) and numerous CDs. Adams seems to be the only composer that you can label (loosely) minimalist who is really highly recognized in Finland. Not including Dr. Atomic, 3 out of his 4 music theater works have been performed here (For Philip Glass that would be 1 out of 21). Adams is probably the best living American composer of music written for symphony orchestra and I think even the critics would agree with me on this one.
Klinghoffer has great moments, for example the choruses, but also parts that are quite forgettable. That's why I rank Nixon and El Nîno higher and I expect Dr. Atomic to be better.
Posted by: Manu | October 05, 2005 at 03:16
News just came in... Philip Glass has started to write his new opera called "Appomatox" which will premiere in September 2007. I probably don't have to tell you what it is about. His earlier opera Civil Wars (1983) already featured Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee and Mary Todd Lincoln. Another Glass opera "In the Penal Colony", based on the short story by Franz Kafka, will receive its Finnish premiere in March in Aleksanterinteatteri.
Posted by: Manu | January 15, 2006 at 00:55